YOUNGSTOWN - Health officials in Mahoning County are waiting to find out if the COVID-19 Alert level here will change when the state’s color-coded map is updated Thursday afternoon.

Youngstown Health Commissioner Erin Bishop told city council members Wednesday that there is some concern Mahoning County’s current red level three alert will increase to purple level four which denotes a severe exposure and spread.  Under a purple alert, people are only supposed to leave home for supplies and services.

Bishop said Mahoning County COVID-19 cases rose by 93 over a three-day period, and 43 of those cases were in the city.

Mahoning County has already met five health standards to reach level three.  Bishop says the alert level could go to purple if the number of new hospitalizations increases for five consecutive days over a three week period, or if 80% of the local ICU beds are filled for at least three days.

Urging residents to wear masks and maintain social distance, Bishop recounted the story of a Youngstown woman who was tested after exhibiting Coronavirus symptoms.  According to Bishop, while still waiting for the test results, she had a baby shower at home with 17 people.  It turned out that the woman tested positive. Several of the people attending that shower contracted COVID-19.

Bishop also said that sever people from Mahoning County attended a wedding outside of the area. Eighteen of those people got COVID-19. One of the people died.

Funerals have been a source of spread, according to Bishop who also noted that a university soccer team member caught the virus. Although teammates wore masks and kept socially distant, Bishop says they shared water bottles.

Although Bishop applauded efforts by local schools to stop the spread, she said the problem lies in after-school get-togethers.

Despite the concern, Bishop told the council that the city should go through with plans for a drive-thru Halloween event on October 31, from 4-7 pm at the Covelli Centre.

Bishop says the so-called Boo Yah event will be low risk since it is socially distanced, and participants will be required to wear masks.